I’m a longtime New Yorker who moved to LA — and it was the best decision ever. Here’s how I made friends, lowered my cost of living, and found happiness. Daniel Zahler is a Harvard-trained healthcare consultant who previously worked at Goldman Sachs and McKinsey. He moved to LA for a better quality of life after spending 12 years in New York City. Zahler struggled to find a community in the past and says it''s easier to make friends in LA. When I told people I was moving from New York City to LA, these were the common reactions: Why — what''s in LA? Did you join a cult? Are you gonna start putting avocado on everything? The short answer for why I decided to pack up and move across the country: I can live near the beach and work from anywhere. I work as an independent consultant, advising companies in healthcare, life sciences and medical technology. I didn''t have a job tying me to New York. I finally made the move to LA in 2017. I had a realization. What I want out of a city is changing. New York doesn''t work for me anymore. LA does. I got the full New York City experience I lived in Manhattan for 12 years. I experienced the highs and lows of New York life, from 100-hour weeks at Goldman Sachs to all-day picnics in Central Park.